EMI data reveals streaming music’s global growth

Industry analyst Mark Mulligan has worked with EMI to delve into the label’s Global Consumer Insight Data, producing a report on streaming music’s global growth.

Its topline figure is that 32% of consumers around the world are currently using streaming music sites, although that’s as high as 48% in Norway, 44% in Spain and 43% in Sweden.

Some stats are sure to be seized upon by streaming services in their battle against accusations that they cannibalise downloads: such as the fact that 20% of streaming music users say they buy more downloads since streaming, while 55% say they discover new artists. What’s missed out, though, is how many users said they buy less downloads.

Mulligan identifies another important trend though: that streaming is “breaking out of a young male early adopter skew”, with a male-female ratio of 54-46 overall, and increasing penetration among the 35-44 and 45-54 age groups.

With most streaming music business models (not to mention promise of greater artist payouts) based on scale, that’s good news for the industry.